Trigger Movie Review

『A Candid Reconciliation and Forgiveness Between Two Female Musicians Confronting the Wounds of Their Past』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: Trigger (2010)
🌍 Country: 🇨🇦 Canada
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Music / Female Relationship
⏳ Running Time: Approximately 75 minutes
📢 Director: Bruce McDonald
🖋️ Screenplay: Daniel MacIvor

👩‍💼 Cast: Molly Parker – Kat
Tracy Wright – Vic

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🎸 The Exhausted Artists and a Decade of Distance

The heart of “Trigger” lies in the attempt of two women to bridge the gap between their “past glory” and “present pain.”

• Vic (Tracy Wright): Once the guitarist of the band, Vic still upholds her indie spirit and remains in Toronto. She struggles to overcome drug addiction, but the blurred line between her addiction and her artistic drive makes her reject music altogether. Her character symbolizes the soul of an artist trapped between idealism and addiction.
• Kat (Molly Parker): The former vocalist, Kat, has moved to Hollywood and achieved commercial success, yet she continues to live an unstable, unfulfilled life. Despite her fame and wealth, she yearns for the raw, unfiltered energy of her band days. Kat represents the emptiness that hides behind commercialized success.
• The weight of time: Their reunion occurs ten years after the band’s breakup. Over the course of a single night, the film allows the two women to unpack years of resentment, betrayal, and lingering affection. It realistically portrays how long-term friendship can become complex and messy with time.

💬 Theatrical Structure and the Power of Dialogue

Daniel MacIvor’s screenplay adopts the characteristics of a stage play transposed to film.

• Dialogue-driven narrative: Most of the film consists of Kat and Vic wandering through the streets of Toronto, engaging in raw, poetic, and philosophically charged conversations. Without flashy concert sequences or dramatic action, the film relies entirely on the powerful performances and chemistry of the two leads.
• Beyond the Bechdel Test: Interestingly, this film is one of the rare works where two female characters discuss topics beyond men — focusing instead on their careers, addictions, friendship, and shared experiences. It grants genuine autonomy and depth to women who once lived through the chaos of a rock band’s world.

🎤 The Essence and Irony of Rock ’n’ Roll

“Trigger” goes beyond being a simple reunion drama — it becomes an exploration of the essence and irony of the “rock ’n’ roll spirit.”

• Rock ’n’ Roll as Essence: For Vic, rock ’n’ roll was never just a genre — it was a philosophy of life, an outlet for rage, and an expression of the soul. In her journey to overcome addiction, she abandoned music, viewing a return to it as dangerously akin to pulling the trigger.
• Rock ’n’ Roll as Commodity: For Kat, rock ’n’ roll became a marketable image and product in Hollywood. Though she sold her authenticity for success, that success failed to fill the void within her.
• Healing through reunion: The emotional climax unfolds when the two women enter an old studio and perform the band’s signature song, “Trigger.” This impromptu performance reveals that rock ’n’ roll, for them, is not merely music but a shared language that heals and reconciles their fractured bond.

🧠 Tracy Wright’s Legacy and the Film’s Emotional Weight

The film was shot shortly before lead actress Tracy Wright’s death from cancer, a fact that adds an unexpected depth and tragic emotional resonance to the story.

• A performance like a supernova: Critics described Wright’s portrayal of Vic as both career-defining and supernova-like. She brings an astonishing authenticity to the blend of pain, vulnerability, and defiance that defines her character.
• A tribute from friends: Director Bruce McDonald and many Canadian filmmakers conceived this project as a love letter to Wright. This background knowledge gives Kat and Vic’s on-screen reunion a sense of real-life friendship and affection extending beyond fiction.

“Trigger” stands as a remarkable work of independent Canadian cinema that, despite its short runtime and limited setting, delivers emotional power through dialogue and performance. It vividly portrays the bitter side of rock ’n’ roll, the tangled nature of female friendship, and the pain of loss and addiction — while ultimately affirming the healing power of art and connection. Tracy Wright’s performance transforms this film into a lasting artistic legacy rather than just another indie drama.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★☆